1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an IEEE 1394 electrical connector.
2. Description of Related Art
IEEE 1394 standard, originally developed by Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) as a replacement for Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), is widely used in peripheral devices of the computer or digital products. Related description can be referred to an article of a magazine CONNECTOR SPECIFIER published on February 1998, entitled Blazing Ahead with 1394, which is submitted herewith by Information Disclosure Statement (IDS). U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,362,249, 6,165,015, D391,551, D390,192 and D410,434 also disclose such IEEE 1394 electrical connectors.
As stated in Blazing Ahead with 1394, the IEEE 1394 standard generally contains two connector systems: a six-circuit I/O connector used in peripheral devices and a four-bay unitized connector generally for internal applications. Following the development of digital video device, for example, digital camera or digital camcorder, a four-circuit I/O IEEE 1394 electrical connector is developed for input/out use of the digital video device. The four-circuit IEEE 1394 electrical connector does not have a power pair of the six-circuit IEEE 1394 electrical connector. U.S. Pat. Nos. D391,551 and D390,192,both issued to Naoyuki Ono, disclose such four-circuit IEEE 1394 electrical connectors. Generally, such connectors are small size so that they are suitable for portable application. However, since lacking the power pair, these connectors cannot be used in electronic devices which are not self-powered.
The six-circuit IEEE 1394 electrical connectors, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,165,015, D410,434 and 5,362,249, have the power pair so that they can be used in electronic devices which are not self-powered. However, these connectors are bulky so that they are not suitable for use in portable devices, such as personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop computer or other hand-held digital devices.
Hence, an improved small size IEEE 1394 electrical connector with a power pair is required to overcome above disadvantages of the conventional IEEE 1394 electrical connectors.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a small size electrical connector having power contacts therein so that the connector can be used in a portable electronic device which is not self-powered.
In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention includes a housing, four signal contacts, a pair of power contacts and a shielding. The housing has a forwardly extending mating tongue. The mating tongue defines four receiving channels in a vertical direction and a pair of side surfaces. A groove is defined in each of the side surfaces. Each signal contact comprises a mating portion retained in a corresponding receiving channel. Each power contact comprises a mating portion retained in a corresponding groove of the mating tongue. The shielding substantially surrounds the housing. The connector has a small dimension and can be used in a portable electronic device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.